She was done hiding and worrying she’d make his “people” angry. She had no desire to be part of his campaigning or tracked down by people who wanted to destroy him. Whatever game people wanted to play, they needed to do it without her. She had a life to live and it didn’t include him.
“We’ll see. I’ll get together with my people. My wife might have an opinion. We’ve let the bad press go on long enough. It’s time to bring it to an end, even if it’s not the end I prefer.” Her father turned to Hansen. “What about you?”
His eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
“You’re no longer under suspicion. You can clear your name and get back to your old life.”
Panic ran through her. Her stomach turned over and wave after wave of dizziness hit her. This was the moment she dreaded. Hansen had a life in D.C. without her. One with echoes of her father’s. As much as she wanted to be with Hansen, she couldn’t just ride along and accept his power and wealth in place of the power and wealth she never had from her father.
She didn’t want any of it. She wanted the man who treated her like she mattered and loved his family to the point of being willing to give up everything for them. She wanted to be a part of that.
Hansen nodded. “True.”
The word shot through her. She felt the ache straight to her heart.
“Then grab a bag and hop on.” Her father gestured toward the plane.
Hansen stepped forward and she grabbed his arm. “Wait. Are you really leaving?”
He frowned at her. The same frown he’d been throwing at her since they met. “What?”
“You’re looking like you want to go.”
“I was trying to figure out if it was wrong to tell my girlfriend’s father to go fuck himself as I shook his hand or if I should shake his hand first.”
“Oh.” She followed the small word with a big hug. Threw her body right at him, knowing he would catch her like always.
Her father cleared his throat. “That’s inappropriate talk.”
“It’s totally fine,” Hansen said without looking at anyone but her. Then he kissed her. Right in front of all the people gathered there, most of whom had no idea what they had to do with the senator other than that she saved him.
It felt like minutes passed before she lifted her head. Her lips hummed from the feel of his. Touching her feet to the ground again helped shift her world back into position. He would stay here for her. He didn’t say it, but she heard it in his kiss.
Hansen still held her as he glanced at her father. “You have my answer.”
For the first time in literally forever, her father laughed in her presence. The rich sound poured over her. She didn’t understand his amusement, but she loved the deep hearty sound.
He reached out and shook Hansen’s hand. Then he touched his palm against her arm. Just for a second. “That’s my gift to you.”
“I have no idea what you’re saying right now.” She went to Hansen’s side, loving the feel of his arm around her waist.
“He passed. I gave him a way out and he chose to stay with you.”
He really was the most exhausting man. “I don’t need to test him or trick him.” No, she trusted Hansen. After everything, even through the fighting, he was hers. She was his.
“Loyalty is a rare commodity.”
She thought it was so much better than that. “We are still talking past each other.”
“Maybe.” Her father’s eyebrow lifted. “Last chance to come with me?”
She knew what he meant and nothing had changed. It never would. “You made the mess.”
“Maybe your mom will help me fix it.”
“Not after I call and warn her you’re coming.” She’d already called and let her mother talk with Hansen. They’d bonded over their joint concern for her and a laugh over a joke about letting the senator drown. Neither of them meant it, but still. “This is on you.”
“Your spunk. I like it.”
She wrapped her arms around Hansen and held on tight. “That’s not what you said before.”
“You take after me.”
“Not even a little bit.”
He took a step closer. Inhaled and exhaled. Made quite a scene before he spit out another sentence. “Goodbye, daughter.”
It wasn’t much but it was more than she ever expected.
She nodded and watched him go. He climbed the stairs, waving to the military folks who had gathered. Acting every inch the well-known senator he was.
She waited until he was inside to turn to look up at Hansen again. “Thanks for not leaving.”
“You thought I would just say ‘the sex was great but I got my life back’ and bolt?”
She shrugged. “Something like that.”
“You need to have a little faith. I mean, with that guy as your dad, I can see why your trust is shaky, but come on.”
“You’re nothing like him.”
“Good.”
THE PLANE TOOK off but the military presence remained. Law enforcement types filed onto the island. The press had started to arrive. Basically, it was Tessa’s nightmare and she was ready to run. She was about to suggest they do just that when Ben stepped in front of them on their way back to the car in the private airport lot.
Hansen nodded a hello. “I didn’t expect to see you today.”
Ben glanced around at the people standing in the hangar, bent over a table, reading something. “Let’s just say I have a lot of help.”
“What are Kerrie and Allen saying?” Hansen asked.
“Nothing. Neither is talking. Their attorney is on the way. He argued that you’re dangerous and mentioned the protective order.” Ben shook his head. “The poor guy is a couple of steps behind.”
“They tried to kill me.” Tessa thought it would be years before she forgot those minutes on the yacht. She might not be able to go on any type of boat for a decade or so.
“Oh, the senator’s statement is pretty clear. They might think they can weasel out of this because the senator has a secret to hide.”
“It will be fine.” Because she knew that her father would not let some con artist get away with shooting him. He’d maneuver and come up with a story. He’d use his power. She didn’t doubt that.
People moved around them in the gravel lot. Some shouted orders back and forth. Captain Rogers was in the middle of it all. Looked to be in his glory as he talked with members of the coast guard as they stood next to his prized fire engine.
“True,” Ben said. “The senator made it clear he will expose the secret if needed to make the case. He left one of his people here to coordinate communications.” Ben pointed at a random guy in a navy suit without a tie. “That one.”
The comment stunned her. “What?”
“He told me he can’t let a criminal go free.” Ben smiled. “I’m assuming he didn’t tell you that.”
The criminal comment sounded like him. The rest? No. “We’ll see what truth he tells.”
Ben frowned. “Truth is truth.”
“You don’t know the senator.”
“It’s never dull on Whitaker.” Hansen laughed. “Speaking of which, what about Ellis and Arianna?”
“The Seattle police were pretty interested in those two. So were police in Phoenix, San Diego, and Denver. They left a trail. Which reminds me . . .” Ben did a quick check of his phone before slipping it back into his pants pocket. “I have a conference call in a few minutes about them. Everyone wants to pick them up. The courts are going to have to sort it all out.”
“That’s the one problem with being so odd. They stand out,” Hansen said.
Tessa almost hated to ask, but she wanted to know. “And Ruthie?”
Ben’s smile fell. “Her marriage is over and she’s broke. She’ll also lose her position on the board, which is likely the biggest hit for her. But Sylvia said it’s inevitable.”
That might be Ruthie’s issue, but she had a problem that was much bigger than a board position. “But the money that
was stolen?”
“Funny thing about that.” Ben did a quick look around before lowering his voice a bit. “The mysterious owner of the island has a representative on the board. The owner knows the situation and, so long as Ruthie steps down, is willing to overlook this quarter’s payment in light of the circumstances.”
Hansen whistled. “That’s generous.”
Tessa’s curiosity ticked up. “Who is the representative?”
“Sylvia.”
“Of course she is,” Hansen said.
The news managed to be both a surprise and not. “Everyone around here really does have a secret, don’t they?”
Ben’s smile came roaring back. “Welcome to Whitaker.”
Chapter 29
The next morning Hansen wanted to sleep. Between the near-drowning, almost being strangled, dealing with Tessa’s father, and all of Ruthie’s emotional angst, he was ready for a vacation. The only caveat was that the woman next to him had to come along. The same woman who kept shifting around on the bed.
“Why are you moving? It is too-fucking-early o’clock.”
She sat up in the middle of the mattress, naked and not even a little self-conscious about it. “We’ll need to eat eventually. That’s the one downfall of Whitaker. No takeout.”
He rolled to his back, mostly because he wanted to get a good look at her. He’d made so many promises if she came off that boat safe, and he intended to honor them. “We could start a business. Of course, we’d need more restaurants.”
She gave him the side-eye. “You already have one.”
That tone didn’t sound good. He was smart enough to know going back to sleep was off the table. He settled for moving up higher on the pillows and waiting to see what happened next. “Are we fighting?”
“No, we’re being grown-ups in a grown-up discussion.”
That sounded . . . really bad. “Ugh.”
“Hansen.”
He held up both hands in mock surrender. “Fine. What about exactly?”
“We need to go back. You can clear your name and give your family some peace. Reassure them that you’re okay.”
He wanted all of that, but not if it meant throwing her into the middle of the city she hated so much. He could give her time, bring his family out here first. But she’d said the magic word. “We?”
She stopped picking at the blanket and looked at him. “What?”
“You said we.”
“I planned to come with you. Meet the family. Show you off to my mom and Ray.”
He didn’t fight the smile. He felt it down to his soul. “So, we’re definitely a we now.”
She crawled up the bed, which he thought just might be the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. He could see every inch of her as she moved, and hoped they were nearing the end of this conversation.
She threw one leg over his thighs and straddled him. “Did the sex weaken your brain?”
“Probably.” Man, he loved this position. “But I just want to be clear that if we leave, it’s together, or I’m not getting on a ferry or helicopter or anything else that moves.”
She looped her arms around his neck. “We agree on that.”
Too easy. Letting it go there and turning back to where they were before Allen and her father showed up tempted him, but he wanted more with her. For the first time in his life, informal and low commitment made his chest ache.
“Things will change.” An understatement but it was a good place to start talking.
“It won’t be easy, and I’ll need some time. I still associate the D.C. area with my father. And that photo is floating around out there. If he doesn’t come clean, being there could be rough for me.” Her body stiffened as she talked.
“Then we won’t go.” He knew that wasn’t realistic but for her he would try to make this shift to his life permanent.
She relaxed against him again. “I’m asking that we go slow, not that we don’t go. My life, my work, is mobile. My mom and Ray are back there. It makes sense for us to be there, but I don’t want to totally detach from here.”
“Agreed.” He met her here. Everything changed here. “I have a certain affinity for this island and the people on it. Most of them anyway.”
“But it will be interesting to see you as something other than a handyman.” She slipped her fingers through his hair. “I’ll get to see you in a suit.”
“And see me pissed off from bad days at work and traffic. Grumbling over how shitty D.C. is about clearing snow. Fighting with Connor about bullshit. Angry that the take-out driver is late.” He wasn’t an easy guy. He knew that. Hell, he thought she knew that. But island Hansen and city Hansen were not exactly the same.
“So, real life.”
“Exactly.”
Her head tipped to the side. “Are you afraid I’m going to run and hide the second I meet Hansen Rye, the businessman?”
She might know him too well. “I’m better here. The slower pace. Less stress.”
“You were almost thrown in jail for murder.”
Valid point. “You know what I mean.”
She exhaled, bringing their bodies closer together. “I hate to break this to you, but you can be an ass here, too. Just saying.”
“The idea of being with you and then having you bolt because you hate our life back there . . . I can’t do that. I don’t want to lose you.” There, he said it. The point. The thing that had been on his mind since he realized he loved her. He didn’t want to be without her or push her away. She’d spent so much of her life in hiding and he never wanted to be the one who dragged her back to that place.
Instead of panicking, she smiled. “It’s about time you said that. Man, I thought I’d have to wait forever.”
He had no idea what was happening. “Huh?”
“I have been falling for you since the day we met and have no intention of stopping now. You’re not getting away from me. And if the grumpiness gets out of control, though it can’t be worse than when we first met—good lord—then I’ll whisk you away. We’re in this together now.”
He could see from the shine in her eyes that she meant it and happiness soared through him. She might be a few steps behind him, but they were headed in the same direction. “Falling?”
“Fallen, falling. Same thing.”
She wasn’t behind at all. They were together in this. “It’s not, but okay.”
“Tell me where you are on the whole we’re-stuck-with-each-other thing.”
The words no longer scared him. The sensation actually grounded him. “Stupid in love with you and thinking about chucking everything to live on an island with you and become a handyman.”
“Or—and don’t think I don’t love that fantasy, because I do—we could go back, set up a life there. Give your dad and Connor a break but set new priorities. Less work. More fun time. When you start acting like a powerful jerk, I’ll tell you and you’ll adjust.”
Everything. She handed him everything. “Promise you’ll stick by me because that last one might get bumpy.”
“I have faith you can learn.” She shifted on his lap until only a small strip of sheet separated them. “And we’ll need a second home on Whitaker. I’ll insist on vacations here and other places.”
He could barely think. He wanted to kiss her. Roll around on the bed with her. “That’s a good compromise.”
“Until the kids come, of course.”
A ringing started in his ears. “Sorry?”
She traced a finger over his lips before placing a quick kiss there. “Your family deserves some joy and you’ll be great at the dad thing.”
He hadn’t even let his thinking get that far. She wasn’t with him, she was miles ahead and he vowed to sprint to catch up. “All this for a man you’re falling for.”
“I’m in love with you, stupid. Want to have your babies. Yell at you when you work too much. Conspire with your brother to get as many vacation days with you as possible.” Her fingers massaged the back of his neck. “My footp
rints will be all over your life.”
He couldn’t fight the urge one more second. He rolled until she lay under him. “So, babies.”
Her smile beamed up at him. “That’s all you got from what I said?”
“I knew I wanted the rest of that with you. The babies part is new.”
“Interesting.” She dropped her arms back on the bed. “You up to speed on the concept yet?”
Sexiest. Woman. Ever. “Getting there.”
“That’s what I like about you. You catch up fast.”
“We should start practicing. The babies thing.”
She wrapped her legs around his waist. “Hold up there, stud. I love you but we’re not trying to get pregnant yet.”
Sure felt like it but he could wait. She should probably meet his family first anyway. He knew they were going to love her as much as he did. “And I love you, so just tell me when you’re ready.”
“Love, huh?”
“Not falling. The actual kind.”
“I can work with that.” Her hand slipped beneath the sheet. Over his waist, then lower. “But we really should practice the sex part. You know, just in case.”
“In case what?”
“I have no idea, but we start there and then we move on to building the rest of our lives.”
He lowered his head but stopped just before kissing her. “Thank you for saving me.”
“Thank you for saving me right back.”
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my amazing editor, May Chen, who didn’t balk when we pitched this series as “imagine Jessica Fletcher’s Cabot Cove with more sex, more killing, and a lot of dysfunction.” Thank you for believing in me. And thank you to my agent, Laura Bradford, for making that bizarre book pitch. I’ve always wanted to write a romantic suspense series set on an island, especially a fictional one where I can do anything I want and design the island to fit my needs, and now I am. Go team!
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